Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-06-11


turn to the farm with the new year. There
had been a great deal of talk in the town
about the Beers, but she was too much preoc
eupied with her own affairs TO pay much at
tention to it. Nor, indeed, was the public
mind greatly meved; they were so much ac-
c,lstomed TO Boer scares ut Pretoria, and bith-
erto they had inveriabiy ended in smoke. And
then all OF sudden, on the morning Of the
18th of December, came the news of the proc
lamation of the republic, and the town was
thrown into ferTnent, and there was a talk
of going into laagar, and, anxious as she was
to get away, jess could see no hope Of return
ing to the farm till the excitement was over.
Then day or two later Conductor Egertsn
came limping into Pretoria from the scene of
the disaster at Bronker's Spruit, with the col
ors of the Ninety regiment tied round
his middle, and such a tale TO tell that the
blood went to her heart and seemed to stag
nate there as she listened to il.
And after that there was confusion worse
COMPOUNDED. Martial law was proclaimed,
| and the town, which was large, struggling
and incapable of defense, was abandoned, the
! inhabitants being ordered into lager on the
high ground overlooking the city. There
| they were, young and old, sick and well, deli
| cate women and little children, all crowded
| together in the open under the cover of the
| fort, with nothing but canvas tents, wagons
| and sheds TO shelter them from the fierce sum-
| mer suns and rains Jess had to share a
wagon with her friend and her friends sister
and mother, and found it rather tight fit
| even to lie down. Sleep, with all the noises
of the camp going on round her, was prac-
teal impossibility.
| 1t was about O'Clock on the day following
that first miserable night in the laager when,
| by the last mail that passed into Pretoria, she
| got Bessies letter announcing her engage
ment to John. She took her letter and went
| some way from the camp to the side of Signal
| Hill, where she was not likely TO be disturbed,
and, finding nook shaded in by mimosa
| trees, sat down and broke the envelope. Be-
fore she had got to the foot of the first page she
| saw what was coming and set her teeth. Then
/ she read the long letter through from begin
| ming to end without fiinching though the
words of affection seemed to burn her So it
had come at last Well, she expected it. and
had plotted to bring it about, so really there
| was no reason in the world why she should
| feel disappointed. On the contrary, she
ought to rejoice and for little while she
4 III ict oioiti utlliisSco- II
made her happy to think that Bessie, whom
| she dearly loved, was happy.
| And yet she felt angry with John with that
| sort of anger which we feel against those who
have blindly injured us. Why should he
| have it in his power to hurt her 500 Still she
hoped that he would be happy with Bessie,
| and then she hoped that these wretched
Beers would take Pretoria and that she
would be shot or put ont of the way some
how She had no heart for Me; all the color
| had faded from her sky What was she to
do with herselfs She would not stop on the
farm after John and Bessie were married
| she was quite clear as TO that; nor, if she
| could avoid it, would she return there before
they were married She would see him no
more, no morel Alas, that she had ever seen
him.
Feeling somewhat happier, or at any rate
calmer, in this determination, she rose to re
| turn to the noisy camp, extending her walk
| however, by making a detour toward the
Heidelberg road, for she was anxious to be as
long alone as she could. She had been walk
ing some ten minutes when she caught sight
of cart that seemed familiar to her, with
three horses harnessed in front of it and one
tied on behind, which were also familiar
There were lot Of men walking alongside of
the cart, all talking eagerly. She halted to
let the little procession go by, when suddenly
she perceived John Mel among the men and
recognized the Zulu Mouti on the box There
was the man whom she had Just vowed never
to see again, and the sight of him seemed to
take all her strength out of her, so that she
felt inclined To sink invountarily upon the
veldt. His sudden appearance WINS almost
uncanny in the sharpness of its illustration of
| her impotence in the hands of fate. She felt
it then; all in an instant it seemed to be borne
| in upon her mind that she could not help her
self, but was only the instrument in the
hands of a superior power whose will she was
fulfilling through the workings of her passion
and to whom her individual fate was matter
| of little moment 1t was inconclusiye rea-
souing and perilous doctrine, but it must be
| allowed that the circumstances gave it the
color of truth. And, after ALL the border
line between fatalisn and free will has never
been quite authoritatively settled, even by
st Paul, 50 perhaps she was right Mankind
docs not like to admit it, but it is, at the least
a question whether We can oppose our little
wills against the forces of the universal law
or derange the details of the unvarying plan
|
ual mortality. jess was a clever woman, but
it would take wiser head than hers to know
where or when to draw that red line across
the writings of our life
On came the cart and the knot of men, and
then suddenly John looked up and saw her
looking at him with those dark eyes that did
indeed, seem at times as though they were the
windows of her soul lie turned and said
I
Mouti, who went On with the cart, and then
came toward her smiling and with out
stretched hand
How do you do, jess" he said $50 have
found you all right!'
She took his hand and answered almost
angrily, "Why have you come, Why did You
leave Bessie and my uncle!'
Il came because ] was sent. and also be
cause | wished to- wanted to get you bach
} home before Pretoria was bcsieged."
"You must have been mad How could
you expect to get back! We shall both bt
shut up here together now"
$50 1t appears. Well, things might b.
worse he added, cheerfully.
Il do not think that anything could III
WORSE" she answered, with stamp of hel
foot, and then, quite thrown off her balance
burst incontinently into flood of tears
5 John Mel was very simple minded man
J and it never struck him to attribute her grie
! to any other cause than anxiety at the stat,
of affairs and at her incarceration for al
; indefinite period III besieged town that raj
daily risk of being taken vi ct arms Still h,
was a little hurt at the manner of his recep
5 ton after his long and most perilous journey
5 which is not, perhaps, to be wondered at.
} "Wcll, JESS" he said, Il think that yol
r might speak a little more kindly to me
considering all things There
? dontcry, they are all right at Mooifontein
5 and dare say that we shall get back Their
somehow sometime or other ] had q mic,
' business to get here at all, can tell YOU"
She suddenly stopped weeping and smiled
g her tears passing away like summer storm
3 "How did you get through she asked 'Tel
S me all about it, Capt Niel;p and accordingly